| Melbourne Football Club | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Names | ||||
| Full name | Melbourne Football Club Limited[1] | |||
| Nickname(s) | AFL:Demons, Dees Indigenous rounds:Narrm | |||
| Former nickname(s) | Redlegs, Fuchsias (prior to 1933) | |||
| 2025 season | ||||
| After finals | 14th | |||
| Home-and-away season | 14th | |||
| Leading goalkicker | Kysaiah Pickett (40 goals) | |||
| Club details | ||||
| Founded | 1858; 167 years ago (1858)[2][3][4][5] | |||
| Colours | Navy Blue Red | |||
| Competition | AFL: Men AFLW: Women | |||
| President | Brad Green | |||
| CEO | Paul Guerra | |||
| Coach | AFL:Steven King AFLW:Mick Stinear | |||
| Captain(s) | AFL:Max Gawn AFLW:Kate Hore | |||
| Premierships | VFL/AFL (13)AFLW (1) 2022 (S7) Reserves (12)' Victorian (3) | |||
| Ground | AFL:Melbourne Cricket Ground (100,024) AFLW:Casey Fields (9,000)[6] | |||
| Training ground | AFL/AFLW:Gosch's Paddock,Casey Fields | |||
| Uniforms | ||||
| ||||
| Other information | ||||
| Official website | melbournefc.com.au | |||
TheMelbourne Football Club, nicknamed theDemons or colloquially theDees, is a professionalAustralian rules football club based inMelbourne,Victoria, Australia. It competes in theAustralian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition and plays its home games at theMelbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Melbourne is the world'soldest professional club of any football code. A loosely organised Melbourne side began playing in the winter of 1858. The following year, the club was officially established and four members codified "The Rules of the Melbourne Football Club"—the basis of Australian rules football. The club was a dominant force in the early years of the game and a foundation member of theVictorian Football Association (VFA) in 1877 and the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 1896, now the national AFL. Melbourne has won 13 VFL/AFL premierships, the latest in2021. The club was a foundation team of theAFL Women's league (AFLW), and won its first AFLW premiership in2022 season 7.
The football club has been a sporting section of theMelbourne Cricket Club (MCC) since 2009, having previously been associated with the MCC between 1889 and 1980.[7]
In the winter and spring of 1858, a loosely organised football team known as 'Melbourne' played in a series of scratch matches inthe parklands outside theMelbourne Cricket Ground. This team was captained byTom Wills, a prominent athlete and captain of theVictoria cricket team, who, on 10 July that year, hada letter of his published by the Melbourne-basedBell's Life in Victoria and Sporting Chronicle, in which he calls for the formation of a "foot-ball club" with a "code of laws" to keep cricketers fit during winter. Other figures associated with this embryonic Melbourne side includedMelbourne Cricket Club membersJerry Bryant,William Hammersley andJ. B. Thompson, and teacherThomas H. Smith. Whereas, fresh contemporary evidence from Bell's Life confirms the prominent role Jerry Bryant played in formation of the Melbourne Football Club at his Parade Hotel on the 21st May 1859.[8][9]
It is possible that the first game played involving the Melbourne team took place on or adjacent to the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 14 August following Bryant's call for 'all good kicks' to take part with a subsequent match held among the Melbourne Cricket Club members on 30 August.[10] On 25 September, Melbourne was challenged to a match by theSouth Yarra Football Club featuring 26 players a side, with Melbourne winning the game.[11] Although the club had not yet been established as a formal entity,[citation needed] the year 1858 has long been recognised as being the foundation year of the Melbourne Football Club and for Australian rules football.
With the cricket season finishedThe Argus reported in early May 1859 that the membership of the "Melbourne Football Club" was growing 'owing, probably, to its being no longer confined to members of the Melbourne Cricket Club'.[12] On 14 May the club held its first match of the year in the Richmond Paddock with two sides captained by Smith and Bryant, with Bryant's side kicking two goals for victory.[13][14] A subsequent meeting was held to elect a Secretary, Treasurer and committee of five to administer the affairs of the club and to draft its rules, whilst an application to the MCC was made for use of the MCG on Wednesdays and Saturdays.[14] Although most Melbourne players and officials were associated with the MCC, the football club was not initially allowed to use its ground, so matches were played on the fields atYarra Park.
On 17 and 21 May 1859, Wills, Hammersley, Thompson and Smith met near the MCG at the Parade Hotel, owned by Bryant, to draft "The Rules of the Melbourne Football Club".[15] The resulting ten codified rules arethe laws from which Australian rules football evolved.
In the early years of the club, football matches were conducted on a casual basis with no set fixture and teams often having to cancel engagements due to a lack of players. The first mention of an interclub match played under the new code was between Melbourne and South Yarra in July 1859, with Hammersley as Melbourne's inaugural captain.[16] In 1860 Melbourne played its first match against theGeelong Football Club in Geelong with the match resulting in a draw.
In 1861, Melbourne participated in the Caledonian SocietyChallenge Cup, but lost the trophy to theMelbourne University Football Club. The club pushed for its rules to be the accepted rules, however many of the early suburban matches were played under compromised rules decided between the captains of the competing teams.
By 1866 several other clubs had also adopted an updated version of Melbourne's rules, drafted at a meeting chaired by Wills' cousin,H. C. A. Harrison. Harrison was a key figure in the early years of the club; he often served as captain and, in later years, as president. Due to his popular reputation and administrative efforts, he was officially named "Father of Australian Football" in 1908, the year of the sport's golden jubilee.
During the 1870s, Melbourne fielded teams in the Seven Twenties andSouth Yarra Cup competitions.
In 1877, Melbourne became a founding member of theVictorian Football Association (VFA). During the same year the club took part in the first interstate football match involving a South Australian side,Victorian, defeating the home side 1–0.[17] Melbourne never won a VFA premiership, although they were consistently one of the stronger teams in the competition, finishing as runners-up four times, toCarlton in 1877,Geelong in 1878 and twice toEssendon in 1893 and 1894.
In 1884 Melbourne's stand at the MCG which catered for 3,000 spectators burned down precipitating a series of financial constraints for the club. With mounting debts, club officials running up unauthorised accounts, poor on-field form and players leaving to join other clubs, Melbourne's future was in serious jeopardy by 1888. It was proposed that the MCC intervene to provide assistance given the closeness of the two clubs and the fact that football matches generated significant gate revenue for the MCC.
At the end of the 1889 season, the MFC and MCC committees met and agreed to amalgamation of the two. The football club would become a section of the cricket club with the MCC handling the MFC's immediate and ongoing financial concerns. Melbourne's on-field prospects soon lifted finishing fourth on the ladder in 1892 and vying the Premiership in 1893. This was to be the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership that produced 12 VFL Premierships between 1900 and 1964.[18]
In 1897, Melbourne joined other VFA powerhouse clubs Essendon, Collingwood, Fitzroy, Geelong, and South Melbourne to form the breakawayVictorian Football League with Carlton and St Kilda also joining. In the first season of the new competition,Jack Leith was the league's leading goalscorer whileFred McGinis emerged as a champion player and league identity being judged Champion of the Colony for the season.[18] In 1900, McGinis helped take Melbourne to itsfirst VFL premiership, defeatingFitzroy in a Grand Final upset at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground; and, in 1904,Vin Coutie kicked 39 goals to be the League's leading goalkicker. But, despite this success, including playing in the finals again in 1902, Melbourne's first decade of the 20th century was poor on-field, with the club taking out the Wooden Spoon in1905 and1906.
In the 1910s the team had adopted the nickname 'Fuchsias' alongside the pre-existing Redlegs name and in 1912 the club adopted a club song to the tune of 'You're A Grand Old Flag".Harry Brereton was the VFL leading goalscorer in the 1911 and 1912 season. During this time the club took pride in its policy of amateurism and whenWorld War I broke out, the club strongly petitioned for the league being suspended to prevent fit professional footballers from joining the war effort. In 1916 the club refused to take part in the competition for three seasons, returning in 1919. 14 Melbourne players lost their lives in the conflict, including Arthur Mueller 'Joe' Pearce, Clifford Burge, Jack Doubleday, Desmond McDonald, Ralph Robertson, Percy Rodriguez and Alfred Williamson.[18] For instance, in May 1919, an unidentified former Melbourne footballer, wrote to the football correspondent ofThe Argus as follows:
Melbourne had little success in the immediate post-war years having not played a final since 1915, taking out another Wooden Spoon in 1919. However, finals form would return with the team defeating Geelong and later losing to Collingwood in 1925. In 1926Albert Chadwick captain-coached the team to its second league Premiership defeating Collingwood in theGrand Final. Melbourne's greatest player at this time wasIvor Warne-Smith, who in the Premiership year won the club's firstBrownlow Medal. Warne-Smith went on to win a second Brownlow in 1928, a year in which Melbourne would play finals again. Chadwick and Warne-Smith would both go on to have influential administrative roles in the club's most successful period in the 1950s.
The Great Depression took a financial toll on the club with poor on-field performances and some players having the pressure of having to search for employment. Melbourne's fortunes were lifted however for the 1933 season when it lured Richmond's premiership winning coach Frank "Checker" Hughes and Richmond's secretary Percy Page to the club.
Hughes was a tough and disciplined coach inspiring the changing of the club's nickname from the Fuchsias to the Demons.[20]
You are playing like a lot of flowers. Lift your heads and play like demons!
— Hughes during a speech to his players[21]
Under Hughes' leadership, and with star players including captainAllan La Fontaine, roverPercy Beames, backmanJack Mueller andNorm Smith at full forward, the Demons played finals in 1936 and 1937, and became the third club after Carlton and Collingwood to win three successive premierships in1939,1940 and1941.[22]
Tragedy would fall on the club soon after with 11 players giving their lives whilst serving in World War 2. These players included premiership playersKeith 'Bluey' Truscott,Harold Ball,Syd Anderson andRon Barassi Sr, all for whom club awards have been dedicated to, with the club'sBest and Fairest award named in honour of Truscott.
Hughes left the club at the end of the 1941 season but returned in 1945. The next yearDon Cordner became the second Demon to win the Brownlow Medal with Melbourne reaching thegrand final, losing to Essendon by a margin of 63 points.Fred Fanning was the VFL leading goal scorer in 1943, 1944, 1945 and 1947 when he also kicked the league record 18 goals in a match during the last game of the season (a record that still stands). In 1948, Melbourne met Essendon in agrand final rematch. The Bombers' inaccurate kicking of 7 goals and 27 behinds resulted in the first ever drawn VFL grand final. The Demons returned the next week to win its sixth premiership with Jack Mueller kicking six goals in the match. Hughes retired again as coach at the end of the season and after being denied the position by a single vote of the club's committee, Norm Smith moved to Fitzroy to take a position as captain-coach.
New coach Allan La Fontaine had limited success despite the Demons playing finals in 1950 and bringing talented new players into the club. After the Demons took out the Wooden Spoon in 1951, Smith returned to take up the coaching position in the 1952 season and set about forging a new team with future club championRon Barassi joining in 1953 under the newly createdfather-son rule. In 1954, the Demons made theGrand Final losing to a rampaging Footscray. In 1955 the Demons cemented their position as the best team in the league finishing top of the ladder and taking out the Premiership in theGrand Final against Collingwood. Melbourne became the only VFL team to win three premierships in succession twice by winning the1956 and1957 grand finals against Collingwood and Essendon. The Demons suffered a shock defeat to their rivals Collingwood in the1958 grand final, but would regain the premiership following wins in the1959 and1960 grand finals against Essendon and Collingwood.
Despite playing in the finals series in 1961, 1962 and 1963, Melbourne failed to reach a grand final until 1964 when the Demons finished top of the ladder again. In one of the most thrillinggrand finals, Melbourne won its 12th VFL premiership in the dying seconds of the game against Collingwood with back-pocket playerNeil Crompton kicking the winning goal.
After the 1954 Grand Final loss to Footscray, no team was able to score 100 points against the Demons until Collingwood in round 5 1963. The next team was Geelong with 110 in round 1 1964. and dominant period of any team in the VFL/AFL no other team has ever won 10 premierships in just 31 years.[23]
In one of the greatest shock moves in the VFL history, Ron Barassi transferred to Carlton as captain-coach for the 1965 season. Despite this, Melbourne were still the dominant team of the league, winning its first eight games in succession. After having lost just three games, the club's committee made the startling decision to sack Norm Smith as coach before its Round 13 fixture against North Melbourne. Hughes returned to coach the Demons in a losing game, while Melbourne identities, including Barassi took to the media to defend Smith. Smith was reinstated however the damage was done, the Demons would only win one more game and subsequently missed out on finals for the first time since 1953. Melbourne would not play in another finals series until 1987.
Smith coached two more seasons with Melbourne and a succession of coaches followed trying to reverse the Demons fortunes includingJohn Beckwith (1968–70),Ian Ridley (1971–73),Bob Skilton (1974–77) andDennis Jones (1978). Melbourne languished near the bottom of the ladder throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, including three wooden spoons in 1969, 1974 and 1978. Despite possessing gifted players includingRobert Flower andGreg Wells, the introduction of country zoning and poor management hampered the club's fortunes. Melbourne tried to supplement its list by recruiting older players from successful teams includingCarl Diterich who played in two separate engagements with the Demons, the first between 1973 and 1975 and then serving as captain-coach in 1979 and 1980.
Melbourne's best start to a season was in 1971 when the club was at the top of the ladder after the first round and maintained that position until it lost toCollingwood in round 6. Melbourne was still in second place at the start of the second half of the season but a dramatic slump had them dropping to fifth position five weeks later. They finished with only two more wins and a draw.
In 1976, Melbourne missed what looked to be an almost certain finals appearance. In the final round, the Demons only needed to beat bottom side Collingwood, and for Footscray to lose to the top side Carlton. The Demons beat Collingwood at Victoria Park but an unexpected drawn match between Footscray and Carlton saw the Bulldogs edge out the Demons for the finals. Melbourne would then fall back into the bottom quarter of the ladder the following season, and in 1979 they suffered the worst defeat in VFL/AFL history, losing toFitzroy by 190 points inround 17,[24] although they would beat Essendon the following week.
In an effort to attract more members and to improve the club's finances the club legally separated from the MCC, becoming a public company. In 1981, under the chairmanship of SirBilly Snedden, and with a public campaign backed by radio broadcaster Derryn Hinch, Ron Barassi returned to Melbourne as coach and immediately appointed Robert Flower as captain. When he left the Demons in 1965 it was felt Barassi would eventually return and his arrival caused much excitement and an expectation of immediate success. Barassi set about implementing a 5-year plan for the Demons to win a Premiership, however the Demons finished 1981 with the wooden spoon after winning only one game. RecruitsBrian Wilson from Footscray andPeter Moore from Collingwood would win the club's 4th and 5th Brownlow Medals in 1982 and 1984. However, despite sound recruiting, Barassi was unable to take the Demons to an elusive finals series and John Northey took up the coaching position in 1986.
Melbourne would finally make the finals in 1987 in dramatic fashion needing to beat Footscray at the Western Oval and requiring Geelong to lose to Hawthorn. The Demons beat the Bulldogs by two goals with the Hawks beating the Cats by three points in the dying seconds of the game. Both matches took place at the same time, with the Melbourne fans cheering towards the end of the game when news came through of the Hawks win. Melbourne cruised into the Preliminary Final defeating North Melbourne by 118 points and Sydney by 76 points. In Robert Flower's last game, the Demons lead the Hawks by 4 points at the final siren, though Hawthorn'sGary Buckenara had a free kick 55 metres out. But Melbourne Irish recruitJim Stynes ran across the mark and incurred a 15-metre penalty, bringing Buckenara close enough to kick the winning goal after the siren. The Demons would try to exact revenge on the Hawks in the 1988Grand Final but were trounced by 96 points.
From 1987 to 1991, Melbourne had five positive win–loss differentials in successive seasons which the club had not been able to achieve since the 1950s. Thereafter things went downhill for Northey, although Jim Stynes won the Brownlow in 1991. In 1992, the club finished 11th, and Northey was replaced byNeil Balme as coach. Balme coached Melbourne into the finals in 1994, but a last game loss to Brisbane saw them drop out of the top-eight in 1995, and the club lingered at or near the bottom of the ladder for most of the 1996 season.
By 1996, the club was also in dire financial straits. The club's board led by past club championIan Ridley as president decided on the desperate step of amerger with Hawthorn. In the ensuing weeks, a passionate debate was fought between pro and anti-merger supporters. In the first few days of this debate, lifelong supporters Mark and Anthony Jenkins met with coterie member George Zagon to form the Demon Alternative – an anti-merger group that was to significantly impact on the plans of the incumbent board. Former player and politicianBrian Dixon and RabbiJoseph Gutnick became the prominent leaders of the Demon Alternative group. The group quickly organised itself into a credible option for Melbourne supporters; however given the support of the AFL and other factors, when the merger issue was put to a vote, a majority of Melbourne members supported the board. In a meeting on the opposite side of town, Hawthorn members rejected their board's proposal and eventually the merger was defeated.
Gutnick and Mark Jenkins were co-opted onto the club's board in the aftermath with Gutnick later being voted in as president. He put $3 million of his own money into the club, and sacked Balme as coach midway through the 1997 season. In 1998, under new coachNeale Daniher, the club spent most of the season in the top eight and beat the eventual premiersAdelaide in the Qualifying Final. Melbourne also eliminatedSt Kilda, but lost to North Melbourne in the Preliminary Final. In 1999 Melbourne finished in the bottom three.
In an exciting finish to the 2000 season, Melbourne stormed its way into theGrand Final, but were convincingly beaten by ladder leaders Essendon. Melbourne missed out on finals in 2001 finishing 11th, but would finish sixth in 2002 to eventually lose its semi-final to Adelaide at the MCG in a controversial ‘away’ game, only played in Melbourne due to the AFL's contractual obligations with the MCG. CaptainDavid Neitz would play his best season winning theBest and Fairest award and winning the club's firstColeman Medal as the league's leading goalscorer kicking 75 goals. Gutnick was replaced byGabriel Szondy as president at the end of the year winning 65% of the members' vote.
In 2003, Melbourne plunged into new on and off-field crises, winning only five games for the year and posting a $1 million loss. Szondy resigned as president and it seemed that Daniher's tenure as coach was under threat. Melbourne played finals again in 2004. In a seesawing Elimination Final, the Demons lost to Essendon by less than a goal. During the 2004 post-season, Melbourne playerTroy Broadbridge was killed in the2004 Boxing Day tsunami, when he was swept offPhi Phi island inThailand. His body was found on 3 January 2005, and brought home. A funeral was held on 20 January 2005 in recognition to the No. 20 guernsey he wore during his playing days. During the 2005 off-season, the whole team travelled to the island in which Broadbridge was killed to build a new school for those struck by the tsunami. The No.20 jumper was then rested for two years.
Melbourne finished the 2005 season in seventh position but lost the elimination final to Geelong by 55 points. In 2006, after a slow start, Melbourne again finished the season in seventh position. After defeating St Kilda in the second Elimination Final by 18 points the season ended the following week whenFremantle beat the Demons by 28 points. Daniher had become the club's the second longest-serving coach while Neitz became Melbourne's all-time leading goal-kicker on 19 May, surpassingNorm Smith's previous record of 546 goals. Two weeks later, he brokeRobert Flower's long standing record of 272 games, making him the longest serving Demon in history.
At the start of the 2007 AFL season, Melbourne were thought by many pundits to be contenders for the Premiership, but injuries to key players across the team resulted in the Demons losing its opening nine matches. Daniher resigned as coach mid-season withMark Riley appointed as caretaker coach. Late in the season, David Neitz became the first Melbourne player to play 300 games.
Dean Bailey was appointed coach for the2008 season, however Melbourne lost their first six matches, before breaking through with a record comeback win in round seven against Fremantle. Melbourne finished the season poorly finishing last on the ladder, taking out its first Wooden Spoon since 1997.
Off field, the club remained in turmoil. In its 150th anniversary year club CEO Steve Harris resigned and was replaced by formerWimbledon tennis championPaul McNamee in early 2008.[25] Club President Paul Gardner also resigned mid-season making way for former club championJim Stynes who inherited a $4.5 million debt.[26] Stynes immediately got to work and was instrumental in Melbourne's ‘Debt Demolition’ campaign held in a Kensington warehouse on 5 August. More than $1.3 million was raised on the night, with more than $3 million pledged to the cause.[27] The Stynes' board sacked McNamee after just four months following criticism of him holidaying in Wimbledon to compete in a legends match.[28] New club CEOCameron Schwab declared that it required urgent AFL assistance to continue, requesting additional funding to its special annual distribution. In December, a fallout in negotiations between the Melbourne Cricket Club resulted in the MCC not committing an expected $2 million to the club and Schwab declared that the club's immediate future was in doubt.[29] This doubt was quickly put to bed when the AFL and MCC finalised negotiations. The AFL committed $1 million to the club in 2009, with the MCC matching the AFL contribution.[30]
Melbourne endured another poor season in 2009, winning just four matches to claim back-to-back Wooden Spoons. The year was made worse in July when Jim Stynes revealed he was fighting cancer. He temporarily stood down, with vice-chairman Don McLardy stepping up in his absence. In 2010 the club's on-field fortunes lifted, as they finished the season 12th on the ladder.
The club's 2011 season took a dramatic turn when the Demons suffered its second greatest loss in league history, going down to Geelong at Kardinia Park in round 19 by 186 points. Bailey was immediately sacked as coach with former club captainTodd Viney coaching the remaining games to finish 13th on the ladder. In August the club announced that its goal of wiping out the club's debt had finally been achieved[31] and new coach Mark Neeld was announced in September.[32]
In 2012 Jim Stynes retired as president, with vice-president Don McLardy stepping up to take the reins. Tragically, on March 20, Stynes’ long fight with cancer came to an end. He was given a state funeral, given his remarkable legacy on and off the field. The AFL investigated Melbourne's 2009 season in August, following comments made by former Demon and Carlton player, Brock McLean, that the club had not been trying to win.[33] See:Melbourne Football Club tanking scandal
In 2013, Melbourne managed just one win from its first 11 games and Neeld was sacked as coach in Round 17 with assistant coach Neil Craig being appointed caretaker. This was precipitated by the departures of CEO Schwab and President McLardy. In September the club announced Sydney premiership coachPaul Roos signed a two-year deal to coach the Demons, with the option of a third year.
Paul Roos' first year in his tenure as the Demons' coach saw an improvement from their 2013 season, with the Demons doubling their win tally. Under Roos, the club continued to steadily improve winning 7 games in 2015 and key forwardJesse Hogan won Melbourne's secondAFL Rising Star award. Roos left Melbourne after another improved season in 2016 with assistant coach Simon Goodwin taking over in a planned succession.
Melbourne finished the 2017 season in ninth place with a win–loss record of 12–10, missing out on eighth spot to West Coast by 0.5%.
Melbourne made history in 2017, competing as one of the eight foundation clubs in the inauguralAFL Women's competition. Led by captainDaisy Pearce and coachMick Stinear, Melbourne took on the Brisbane Lions in the first game of the new league at Casey Fields.
At the end of the 2018 season Melbourne finished in fifth place on the ladder reaching the finals series for the first time since 2006. The Demons advanced to an eventual Preliminary final defeat to West Coast after defeating Geelong and Hawthorn. Melbourne's success could not be maintained in 2019 with the Demons finishing 17th on the ladder. In the shortened 2020 season interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Melbourne would finish ninth on the Ladder winning nine and losing eight games.
Melbourne's victory over North Melbourne in Round 7 of the 2021 season put them on the top of the ladder for the first time since the third round of2005. They won their first nine matches of a season for the first time since1956. Melbourne's win overWest Coast in Round 21 put them at the top of the ladder again and secured their first double chance in a finals series since the2000 season. Their next win against Adelaide equalled their most wins in a season from 1956. With captainMax Gawn kicking agoal after the siren in the Round 23 match against Geelong, Melbourne finished the season as minor premiers for the first time since1964. After defeatingBrisbane in a qualifying final at the Adelaide Oval andGeelong in a preliminary final at Optus Stadium, the Demons reached their first grand final since2000.[34] On 25 September, Melbourne won its 13th VFL/AFL premiership, defeating the Western Bulldogs by 74 points in thegrand final at Optus Stadium in Perth; it was their first premiership since their1964 victory against Collingwood.Christian Petracca was unanimously judged as best on the ground, winning the club's firstNorm Smith Medal.[35]
| 2021 AFL Grand Final | G | B | Total |
 Melbourne | 21 | 14 | 140 |
 Western Bulldogs | 10 | 6 | 66 |
| Venue:Perth Stadium | Crowd: 61,118[36] | ||
Melbourne's premiership defence began with 10 straight victories, increasing their streak from last year to 17, before suffering three losses on the bounce to fellow finalists Fremantle, Sydney and Collingwood. The Demons’ form in the second half of the 2022 season was inconsistent, but the reigning premiers emphatically secured a spot in the top four after a comfortable 58-point victory over Brisbane in the final round. The Demons finished second with a win–loss record of 16 wins and six losses, but came undone in the finals, bowing out in straight sets after losing to Sydney and Brisbane in the qualifying and semi final respectively.
The 2023 season for Melbourne was widely similar to its predecessor, going on frequent winning streaks and suffering sporadic losses to record 16 wins and seven losses for a fourth-placed finish. Their season ended in week two of the finals, losing to Collingwood and Carlton in the qualifying and semi final respectively, becoming the first team to suffer consecutive straight sets exits in two seasons under the currentAFL finals system.
The2024 AFL season saw Melbourne miss finals for the first time since 2020, with the club finishing 14th with a total of 11 wins and 12 losses. Despite spending large periods of the season within the top eight, Melbourne lost 5 of their last 6 matches to drop out of finals calculations. The year was compounded by a myriad of on and off-field issues including a season ending injury toChristian Petracca during the annualKing's Birthday match after he was kneed in the ribs late in the first quarter by Collingwood captainDarcy Moore.
Melbourne entered the2025 season with the backing of many parts of the football media system to return to finals, though the club won fewer games than the previous year and sacked coachSimon Goodwin with three rounds remaining in the season.[37] Senior assistantTroy Chaplin was named as caretaker coach for the last three rounds of the 2025 season with the club once again finishing in 14th position.
On September 12, 2025, former Geelong and St Kilda playerSteven King was appointed as the 33rd coach of the Melbourne Football Club.[38] Following King's appointment as coach, during the2025 AFL Trade Period, the club farewelled club championsChristian Petracca andClayton Oliver who joined theGold Coast Suns andGreater Western Sydney Giants respectively.
In one of the first practice matches between Melbourne teammates in 1859, both red and blue were worn and these colours quickly became associated with the Melbourne Football Club, although they were not used as part of the team's uniform.
In 1872, club member Larry Bell brought some red stockings back from England which were teemed with blue knickerbockers and jerseys and red caps. It is at this time that the team became known as the 'Redlegs'. Bell also brought back with him blue stockings which were reputedly given to theCarlton Football Club.[18]
In the early days of Australian football, players would wear whatever sporting clothing they had. As most of its players were members of the Melbourne Cricket Club, it quickly became the trend for Melbourne players to wear predominantly white clothes, which gave rise to the team being called the 'Invincible Whites'. For a brief period in 1861 and 1862, the club adopted magenta flannel shirts, but these were soon abandoned.
From 1872, a more standardised uniform was adopted, although it remained common for footballers to wear a mismatch of uniforms. Most footballers had dispensed with wearing cricket whites and were now choosing to wear woollen navyguernseys which were more suitable for winter play. The Melbourne team distinguished itself with red socks and a red cap. A canvas lace up guernsey was introduced in 1884 which featured a red leather strip down the middle and was worn by players up until 1915. In 1906, some players wore a navy woollen guernsey with a small red yoke around the neck. When Melbourne re-entered the competition for the1919 season, a standardised uniform was used with a red V on a navy jumper. In 1925, the V was made smaller and raised to the collar with a red horizontal band added to the waist.[18]
The current club jumper of a red V-shaped yoke on a navy background was first adopted in 1935, and apart from very slight variations over the years, and a period in which royal blue was used between 1975 and 1986 due to the introduction of colour television, the jumper has remained the same.
The Melbourne clash strip, new in 2018, consists of a retro-inspired home strip of royal blue with a red yoke, including white shorts as worn between 1975 and 1986. The alternate away strip is the same as the home strip, with the difference being the back entirely in red to allow the club to wear a non-white alternate strip.
New Balance have manufactured Melbourne's on- and off-field apparel since 2011.[39]
Throughout its history, Melbourne has had different guernsey designs, as follows:[40]
     1858–61 & 1863–71 | 1861–62 | 1872–83 |  1884–1915 |  1905–15 |
 1919–24 |  1925–34 |  1935–74 |  1975–86 | 1987–present |
In 1933, Melbourne was beginning to rebuild its side and abandoned the name 'Fuchsias' for a more ferocious title—the 'Demons'. This was inspired by then coachFrank "Checker" Hughes reportedly saying to the players in a game to 'lift up your heads and play like demons!'.[18] Over the years, the club has used various iterations of demons as club mascots. This includes Ronald Deeman from theAFL Mascot Manor franchise.[41]
The current club mascots are Chuck, Checker, and Cheeky. Chuck is named after legendary coach Frank "Checker" Hughes; Daisy is named after the inaugural captain of the women's team,Daisy Pearce;[42] and Flash is named after the 2009Keith "Bluey" Truscott Medallist,Aaron Davey.[43]
The official Melbourne Football Club song is called "It's a Grand Old Flag" (sung to the tune ofGeorge M. Cohan's 1906 song "You're a Grand Old Flag"). The song was first adopted by the club in 1912. The Demons primarily repeat the first verse of the song.
It's a grand old flag, it's a high-flying flag,
It's the emblem for me and for you;
It's the emblem of the team we love,
The team of the Red and the Blue.
Every heart beats true for the Red and the Blue,
And we sing this song to you:
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
Keep your eye on the Red and the Blue.
A second verse was reputedly written by club championKeith "Bluey" Truscott in 1940, referencing the club's1939 and1926 VFL premiership titles. The club resurrected the original second verse for the2011 season.[44]
Oh, the team played fine in the year Thirty-nine,
We’re the Demons that no one can lick;
And you'll find us there at the final bell,
With the spirit of Twenty-six.
Every heart beats true, for the Red and the Blue,
And we sing this song to you:
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
Keep your eye on the Red and the Blue.
| Year | Kit Manufacturer | Major Sponsor | Shorts Sponsor | Bottom Back Sponsor | Top Back Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978–83 | - | Mayne Nickless | - | - | - |
| 1984 | Hertz | ||||
| 1985–91 | Drake International | ||||
| 1992 | Snowy Mountain | ||||
| 1993 | Pioneer Homes | ||||
| 1994 | Tooheys Blue Demons | Blue | Tooheys | ||
| 1995–97 | Tooheys | Metway Bank | |||
| 1998 | Canterbury | LG | Tooheys Victoria | LG Electronics | |
| 1999 | Hahn | ||||
| 2000 | Fila | ||||
| 2001–02 | Tooheys New | ||||
| 2003 | Asics | Subway | |||
| 2004 | iPrimus | Primus Telecom | |||
| 2005–06 | Primus Telecom | Red Energy | |||
| 2007 | The Age | ||||
| 2008 | Reebok | ||||
| 2009 | Hankook | Kaspersky Lab | |||
| 2010 | Volvo | ||||
| 2011 | New Balance | Metro Solar | |||
| 2012 | Webjet | Opel | |||
| 2013 | - | ||||
| 2014–16 | AHG | NT | AHG | ||
| 2017 | IG | iSelect | |||
| 2018 | Zurich | ||||
| 2019 | Johnnie Walker | Jaguar Cars | |||
| 2020 | Hertz | Zurich | |||
| 2021– | Beyond Bank |
Melbourne's home ground has been theMelbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) since 1889. From that time to 1980, the team was part of theMelbourne Cricket Club's sporting sections. The MCC operates and partially owns the MCG. The two clubs severed ties in 1980, though restored the relationship in 2009.[45][46] The club trained on the MCG until 1985, at which point they shifted to theJunction Oval inSt Kilda, which served as the club's training base from 1986 until 2010.[47][48] In 2009, the Demons first moved their training facilities from the Junction Oval toCasey Fields.[49][50] Currently, the Demons' football offices and indoor training facilities are based atAAMI Park, where they moved in late 2010, and its administrative offices located within the MCG.[51] The club trains on the adjacentGosch's Paddock public oval. The oval was upgraded in the 2021/22 off-season to increase the dimensions to better match the measurements of the MCG andDocklands Stadium.[52][53][54] Redevelopment of Goschs Paddock oval commenced on 5 December 2021.[55] Given AAMI Park is co-tenanted with three other professional sporting clubs, Melbourne have often investigated moving to a dedicated club-specific facility.[56] In August 2021 it was reported the club was considering moving all its football and administrative offices, and indoor training facilities, to the land where Car Park E next to AAMI Park is located.[51] In December 2023, the club commenced a feasibility study of land within theCaulfield Racecourse Reserve.[57][58][59]
Aside from the MCG, Melbourne also plays home games in theNorthern Territory: from 2010 to 2019, Melbourne played one home game per year atMarrara Oval, and have played one home game per year atTraeger Park since 2014.
Melbourne maintains a presence at Casey Fields inCranbourne East, the home ground of its AFLW team and VFL/VFLW affiliate theCasey Demons. It based its AFL training program at the venue for the duration of the 2021 season, which was interrupted by theCOVID-19 pandemic.[60] The club trains at Casey regularly during the summer and once every one or two weeks during the football season.[59]
Melbourne has improved their membership and attendances steadily since the failedHawthorn merger in 1996, building a membership base of over 30,000 since 2009. The membership record of 36,937 was set in 2011 before it was broken in April 2016 to finish with 39,211 for the 2016 season, this record was broken the next year in April 2017. In May 2017, Melbourne signed up 40,000 members for the first time. In May 2019, Melbourne signed up 50,000 members for the first time. A 2000Roy Morgan AFL survey suggested that Melbourne supporters had the highest household income.[61]
| Year | Members | Finishing position including finals position |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 6,297 | 9th |
| 1985 | 5,801 | 11th |
| 1986 | 4,511 | 11th |
| 1987 | 3,122 | 3rd |
| 1988 | 10,078 | 2nd |
| 1989 | 8,184 | 4th |
| 1990 | 10,111 | 4th |
| 1991 | 10,153 | 4th |
| 1992 | 8,681 | 11th |
| 1993 | 10,097 | 10th |
| 1994 | 10,648 | 4th |
| 1995 | 9,544 | 9th |
| 1996 | 12,964 | 14th |
| 1997 | 15,350 | 16th |
| 1998 | 17,870 | 4th |
| 1999 | 19,713 | 14th |
| 2000 | 18,227 | 2nd |
| 2001 | 22,940 | 11th |
| 2002 | 20,152 | 6th |
| 2003 | 20,844 | 14th |
| 2004 | 25,252 | 7th |
| 2005 | 24,220 | 8th |
| 2006 | 24,698 | 5th |
| 2007 | 28,077 | 14th |
| 2008 | 29,619 | 16th |
| 2009 | 31,506 | 16th |
| 2010 | 33,358 | 12th |
| 2011 | 36,937 | 13th |
| 2012 | 35,345 | 16th |
| 2013 | 33,177 | 17th |
| 2014 | 35,911 | 17th |
| 2015 | 35,953 | 13th |
| 2016 | 39,211 | 11th |
| 2017 | 42,233 | 9th |
| 2018 | 44,279 | 4th |
| 2019 | 52,421 | 17th |
| 2020 | 40,571 | 9th |
| 2021 | 53,188 | 1st |
| 2022 | 66,484 | 5th |
| 2023 | 70,785 | 6th |
| 2024 | 65,479 | 14th |
| 2025 | 58,563 | 14th |
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(September 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Premierships | |||
| Competition | Level | Wins | Years won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Football League | Seniors | 13 | 1900,1926,1939,1940,1941,1948,1955,1956,1957,1959,1960,1964,2021 |
| Reserves(1919–1999) | 12 | 1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1939,1949,1956,1969,1970,1984,1993 | |
| Under 19s(1946–1991) | 6 | 1947,1953,1964,1971,1981,1983 | |
| AFL Women's | Seniors | 1 | 2022 (S7) |
| Victorian Football Association | Seniors(1877–1896) | Nil | - |
| Victorian Premiership | Seniors(1870–1876) | 3 | 1870,1872,1876 |
| Other titles and honours | |||
| McClelland Trophy | Various[a] | 6 | 1955,1956,1958,1990,2021,2023 |
| AFLX Tournament | Seniors | 1 | 2018 |
| VFL/AFL pre-season competition | Seniors | 1 | 1989 |
| VFL Night Series | Seniors | 2 | 1971,1987 |
| Lightning Premiership | Seniors | 1 | 1952 |
| Finishing positions | |||
| Australian Football League | Minor premiership | 10 | 1939,1940,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1964,2021 |
| Grand Finalist | 5 | 1946,1954,1958,1988,2000 | |
| Wooden spoons | 12 | 1905,1906,1919,1923,1951,1969,1974,1978,1981,1997,2008,2009 | |
| AFL Women's | Minor premiership | Nil | - |
| Grand Finalist | 1 | 2022 (S6) | |
| Wooden spoons | Nil | - | |
The Melbourne Football Club Team of the Century was announced on 24 June 2000 atCrown Casino. The selectors werePercy Beames (former player and journalist), Lynda Carroll (club historian), Bill Guest (MFC Director), Greg Hobbs (journalist),John Mitchell (former MFC and MCC President), Linda Pearce (journalist), Dudley Phillips (supporter), Stephen Phillips (media consultant) andMike Sheahan (journalist), with CEO John Anderson as non-voting chairman.[68]
Stan Alves,Ian Ridley,Bob Johnson andGreg Wells were all named as emergencies.
The Hall of Fame was introduced in 2001 withNorm Smith inducted directly as a legend. The Hall of Fame consists of five legends and forty-four inductees.
| Melbourne Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hall of Fame | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Legends
|
Melbourne FC announced its "150 Heroes" to celebrate its 150th anniversary atCrown Casino on 7 June 2008. Each player, or their closest relative, was presented with an official 150 heroes medallion. The criteria for inclusion was games played (minimum of 100),best-and-fairest awards, premierships,Brownlow Medals, contribution to the club and state representation. Those who died in the war were judged based on their achievements before their death.
The heroes named were:
Jim Abernethy,Frank Adams,Bill Allen,Stan Alves,Syd Anderson,Tony Anderson,Lance Arnold,Ron Baggott,Garry Baker,Harold Ball,Ron Barassi,Percy Beames,John Beckwith,George Bickford,Ray Biffin,Barry Bourke,Harry Brereton,Cameron Bruce,Keith Carroll,Geoff Case,Albert Chadwick,Noel Clarke,Geoff Collins,Jack Collins,Chris Connolly,Bob Corbett,Denis Cordner,Don Cordner,Ted Cordner,Vin Coutie,Harry Coy,Jim Davidson,Frank Davis,Ross Dillon,Carl Ditterich,Brian Dixon,Len Dockett,Adrian Dullard,Hugh Dunbar,Richie Emselle,Fred Fanning,Jeff Farmer,Matthew Febey,Steven Febey,Dick Fenton-Smith,Rowley Fischer,Robert Flower,Laurie Fowler,Maurie Gibb,Peter Giles,Terry Gleeson,Brad Green,Rod Grinter,George Haines,Gary Hardeman,Henry Harrison,Gerard Healy,Greg Healy,Dick Hingston,Paul Hopgood,Danny Hughes,Anthony Ingerson,Eddie Jackson,Alan Johnson,Bob Johnson,Tassie Johnson,Trevor Johnson,Travis Johnstone,Gordon Jones,Les Jones,Bryan Kenneally,Allan La Fontaine,Clyde Laidlaw,Frank Langley,Jack Leith,Andrew Leoncelli,Charlie Lilley,Wally Lock,Harry Long,John Lord,Andy Lovell,Brett Lovett,Glenn Lovett,Garry Lyon,Hassa Mann,George Margitich,Peter Marquis,Bernie Massey,Anthony McDonald,James McDonald,Fred McGinis,Shane McGrath,Bob McKenzie,Col McLean,Ian McLean,Noel McMahen,Ken Melville,Laurie Mithen,Peter Moore,Jack Mueller,David Neitz,Stephen Newport,Jack O'Keefe,Andrew Obst,Gordon Ogden,Greg Parke,Joe Pearce,Jack Purse,Ian Ridley,Guy Rigoni,Frank Roberts,Russell Robertson,Alby Rodda,Brian Roet,Peter Rohde,Alan Rowarth,David Schwarz,Norm Smith,Steven Smith,Earl Spalding,Stuart Spencer,Charlie Streeter,Steven Stretch,Jim Stynes,Tony Sullivan,Dick Taylor,Ted Thomas,Ian Thorogood,Stephen Tingay,John Townsend,Keith Truscott,Geoff Tunbridge,Bill Tymms,Barrie Vagg,Francis Vine,Todd Viney,Ivor Warne-Smith,Ray Wartman,Athol Webb,Greg Wells,Jeff White,Sean Wight,Don Williams,Brian Wilson,Stan Wittman,Shane Woewodin,Graeme Yeats,Charlie Young,Adem Yze
| Senior list | Rookie list | Coaching staff | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head coach Assistant coaches
Updated: 20 November 2025 | |||||||||
The honour board is listed from the first VFL/AFL season and includes the following individual awards:
Legend:
^ Premiers, * Grand finalist, † Finals, ‡ Wooden spoon
Bold italics: competition leading goal kicker
In June 2013, the club fielded awomen's representative side known as the Chappettes againstWestern Bulldogs in the first AFL-sanctioned women's exhibition match, held at the MCG. The two teams competed annually over the next three years for the Hampson-Hardeman Cup.[77] In 2016, when the AFL announced plans forAFL Women's, an eight team national women's league competition, Melbourne was asked to submit an application for a licence alongside other AFL clubs.[78] The club was one of four Melbourne-based clubs to be granted a licence that year.[79]
The club's first players were marquee signingsDaisy Pearce andMelissa Hickey.[80] The full list was completed later in the year with signings and selections made in the Octoberdraft period.
Oakleigh Chargers coachMick Stinear was appointed the team's inaugural head coach in September 2016.[81]
| Senior list | Rookie list | Coaching staff | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head coach Assistant coaches
| |||||||||
| Melbourne AFLW honour roll | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Ladder | W–L–D | Finals | Coach | Captain(s) | Best and fairest | Leading goal kicker | |
| 2017 | 3rd | 5–2–0 | DNQ | Mick Stinear | Daisy Pearce | Daisy Pearce | Alyssa Mifsud (9) | |
| 2018 | 3rd | 4–3–0 | DNQ | Mick Stinear | Daisy Pearce | Daisy Pearce (2) | Tegan Cunningham (9) | |
| 2019 | 4th ^ | 4–3–0 | DNQ | Mick Stinear | Elise O'Dea &Shelley Scott | Karen Paxman | Tegan Cunningham (8) | |
| 2020 | 4th ^ | 4–2–0 | Semi-final | Mick Stinear | Daisy Pearce | Shelley Scott | Kate Hore (5) | |
| 2021 | 4th | 7–2–0 | Preliminary final | Mick Stinear | Daisy Pearce | Tyla Hanks &Karen Paxman (2) | Kate Hore (12) | |
| 2022 (S6) | 2nd | 9–1–0 | Grand final | Mick Stinear | Daisy Pearce | Daisy Pearce (3) | Tayla Harris (18) | |
| 2022 (S7) | 2nd | 9–1–0 | Premiers | Mick Stinear | Daisy Pearce | Kate Hore | Kate Hore (17) | |
| 2023 | 2nd | 8–2–0 | Semi Final | Mick Stinear | Kate Hore | Tyla Hanks (2) &Kate Hore (2) | Eden Zanker (23) | |
| 2024 | 9th | 6–5–0 | DNQ | Mick Stinear | Kate Hore | Kate Hore (3) | Alyssa Bannan (12) | |
^ Denotes the ladder was split into two conferences. Figure refers to the club's overall finishing position in the home-and-away season.
...on April 1, 2009, the Melbourne Football Club once again became a Sporting Section of the Melbourne Cricket Club...
{{cite book}}:|website= ignored (help)It's AFL Grand Final weekend and mad Demons supporter Nazeem Hussain is here to give us a completely unbiased look at the big game.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |